Thanks for the Memories, KC and the Sunshine Band

See that picture? That's me getting down to KC and the Sunshine Band. You know, the guy that sings "Do a little dance, make a little love". That was in the 1970s, and now KC is back: older, fatter, clumsier, and more emotional than ever.

A couple days ago we went to Viña del Mar for its annual music festival to see Juanes and KC and the Sunshine Band perform. Although most of the students in our group were mainly eager to see Juanes, I was eager to see KC, because it was my mom's favorite band in high school and she lives vicariously through me. I felt it my duty to enjoy the hell out of KC's performance just for her. And that I did. Juanes was good and all, and he's pretty hot for a 37 year old, but KC was frickin' awesome. Not awesome in the traditional "what a great performer" kind of way. More like awesome in the "this is like watching a train wreck" kind of way.

First of all, KC has gotten fat. Back in the 70's he was a hunk, but now he looks like he's had a few too many Sundays in front of the TV eating buffalo wings and drinking beers. Second of all, he has gotten old. It's one thing for a 58-year-old to perform live music, and it's another thing for a 58-year-old to dance around onstage in some sort of attention-induced stupor and repeatedly spin around like Chris Farley in the Chippin Dales Saturday Night Live skit. Seriously. The guy reminded me exactly of Chris Farley. Just look up KC and the Sunshine Band in Viña del Mar on youtube and you'll see what I mean. His dance moves were just sloppy. Not only that, but he was dancing awkwardly with his whorish backup dancers who just didn't really fit in with disco music. Then, to top it all off, in the middle of one of his sloppy dance moves he slipped and fell. At that point my friend turned to me and said, "Did that really just happen?" Yes, it did, and Chilean television will not let KC live it down. On the news I have seen plays and replays of the video clip of KC falling on his ass. The poor guy. He was humiliated. Throughout his performance he kept getting tired and panting, saying "oh mi corazón!" ("my heart!") like he was going to crap out any minute. In spite of KC's endearing fuck-ups, the crowd loved him. The Chileans knew some of his songs better than I did. At the end of the concert, he got all teary-eyed and thanked them for loving him so much. Do I smell a midlife crisis?

I must say that KC won me over. The poor guy tries so hard. And I boogied my little heart out that night.